Santa Rosa de Copan

Destinations like this beautiful little mountain city are why I miss my stolen camera so much.  It took 7 hours to arrive here from La Ceiba hoping our travel would not be disrupted by the persistent road blockages and demonstrations that continue to plague the country.  Along with several of my fellow Peace Corps Volunteers accompanied by contrapartes from their local communities I was in town to attend a 3-day taller (workshop) about Micro Empressas (micro businesses) with a focus on People Living with HIV/AIDS:  important because of the stigma and discrimination these people must deal with in their local communities.  The smaller the community, the worse its reaction.   The taller was a success, my contrapartes and I learned the mechanisms for starting and sustaining a small business, information to be passed on to peers all over the country.  During free moments of my 3 days on site I walked the narrow cobble-stoned streets of a city situated on a series of hilltops, manuevering the unique person-wide sidewalks and absorbing its antique European-like ambience.  Watching the sun set over the city from the hotel’s rooftop reminded me of Van Gogh’s Starry Nights canvas.  And the cemetery … almost beyond description.  The cemeteries of New Orleans pale in comparison.  Magnificent, colorfully painted, chalet-like mausoleums packed tightly across hilltops overlooking the city give the impression of a city of the dead overlooking the small bustling metropolis below.  I will miss the Seattle-like climate here in Santa Rosa de Copan, for on my return to the steamy north coast I will pack up my bags once again and transfer into the interior of the country by the 15th of the month.

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